Roosen, Berend Carl (1820-1904)

Berend Carl Roosen, (1820-1904), a Mennonite minister of Hamburg, Germany. After the completion of his theological studies he was chosen as pastor of his home church, the Hamburg-Altona congregation, on 12 October 1845, serving for nearly sixty years until his death. Roosen is said to have been a man of short stature with a kind face and vivid eyes. He was a man of sincere, moderate, somewhat liberal convictions. The long period of his service was one of great calm. Materially the church prospered and its spiritual life also flourished under Roosen's intelligent leadership. Roosen maintained friendly connections with the Lutheran pastors of Hamburg and Altona and enjoyed their high regard. He was active in many areas of church life, including home missions. In his honor the meetinghouse of the home mission society organized by Wichern, which was located in the section of Hamburg known as Winterhude, was named the Roosenhaus. He also was much interested in the foreign Mennonite missions, vigorously supporting the Dutch Mennonite Missions Association at Amsterdam, of which he was a trustee. He died at Hamburg on 20 December 1904.

Roosen published a biography of Menno Simons: Menno Symons den evangelischen Gemeinden geschildert (Leipzig, 1848); his biography of his ancestor Gerrit Roosen appeared in 1854 at Hamburg: Gerhard Roosen weiland Prediger der evangelischen Mennoniten-Gemeinde zu Hamburg und Altona, geboren 1612, gestorben 1711, geschildert. His Geschichte der Mennoniten-Gemeinde zu Hamburg und Altona I and II (Hamburg, 1886, 1887) is the product of serious historical study. In 1893 he wrote a history of his family, which was published by his daughter after his death: Geschichte unseres Hauses (Hamburg, 1905). A sermon of his, Neujahrspredigt gehalten am 1. Jan. 1886, was published in the Mennonitische Blätter of 1884, No. 4.